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Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024TiO-based mixed oxide-carbon composite support for Pt electrocatalysts provides higher stability and CO tolerance under the working conditions of polymer electrolyte...
Composites of Titanium-Molybdenum Mixed Oxides and Non-Traditional Carbon Materials: Innovative Supports for Platinum Electrocatalysts for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells.
TiO-based mixed oxide-carbon composite support for Pt electrocatalysts provides higher stability and CO tolerance under the working conditions of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells compared to traditional carbon supports. Non-traditional carbon materials like graphene nanoplatelets and graphite oxide used as the carbonaceous component of the composite can contribute to its affordability and/or functionality. TiMoO-C composites involving these carbon materials were prepared through a sol-gel route; the effect of the extension of the procedure through a solvothermal treatment step was assessed. Both supports and supported Pt catalysts were characterized by physicochemical methods. Electrochemical behavior of the catalysts in terms of stability, activity, and CO tolerance was studied. Solvothermal treatment decreased the fracture of graphite oxide plates and enhanced the formation of a reduced graphene oxide-like structure, resulting in an electrically more conductive and more stable catalyst. In parallel, solvothermal treatment enhanced the growth of mixed oxide crystallites, decreasing the chance of formation of Pt-oxide-carbon triple junctions, resulting in somewhat less CO tolerance. The electrocatalyst containing graphene nanoplatelets, along with good stability, has the highest activity in oxygen reduction reaction compared to the other composite-supported catalysts.
PubMed: 38921928
DOI: 10.3390/nano14121053 -
Journal of Cardiovascular Development... Jun 2024Trimethyl--oxide (TMAO) has been linked to peripheral artery disease (PAD). Taurisolo is a natural, balanced phytocomplex containing resveratrol, quercetin, catechins,...
Trimethyl--oxide (TMAO) has been linked to peripheral artery disease (PAD). Taurisolo is a natural, balanced phytocomplex containing resveratrol, quercetin, catechins, procianidins, gallic acid, and caffeic acid. Numerous studies have shown that Taurisolo reduces the damage of TMAO and exerts a protective effect on endothelial cells (ECs). The aim of this randomized, double-blind, single-center study was to evaluate the effects of Taurisolo on claudication in patients with PAD (Rutheford grade I, category II, Fontaine Classification: Stage IIA, American Medical Association Whole Person Impairment Classification: Class 0-WPI 0%) in two parallel groups of 31 patients. The primary outcomes were an increase in the pain-free walking distance and the ankle/brachial pressure index at the beginning and at the end of the treatment with Taurisolo. The secondary endpoint was the serum TMAO changes. The claudication distance improved by 14.1% in the Taurisolo group and by 2.0% in the placebo group, while the maximal distance increased by 15.8% and 0.6% only, respectively (both < 0.05). The TMAO plasma levels decreased from 3.97 ± 2.13 micromole/L to 0.87 ± 0.48 ( < 0.0001) in the treated group. All these changes were highly significant both in univariate mixed models as well as in the adjusted model. Ultimately, Taurisolo might be an effective intervention to ameliorate intermittent claudication.
PubMed: 38921674
DOI: 10.3390/jcdd11060174 -
Journal of Functional Biomaterials Jun 2024With the rising demand for medical implants and the dominance of implant-associated failures including infections, extensive research has been prompted into the...
With the rising demand for medical implants and the dominance of implant-associated failures including infections, extensive research has been prompted into the development of novel biomaterials that can offer desirable characteristics. This study develops and evaluates new titanium-based alloys containing gallium additions with the aim of offering beneficial antibacterial properties while having a reduced stiffness level to minimise the effect of stress shielding when in contact with bone. The focus is on the microstructure, mechanical properties, antimicrobial activity, and cytocompatibility to inform the suitability of the designed alloys as biometals. Novel Ti-33Nb-xGa alloys (x = 3, 5 wt%) were produced via casting followed by homogenisation treatment, where all results were compared to the currently employed alloy Ti-6Al-4V. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) results depicted a single beta (β) phase microstructure in both Ga-containing alloys, where Ti-33Nb-5Ga was also dominated by dendritic alpha (α) phase grains in a β-phase matrix. EDS analysis indicated that the α-phase dendrites in Ti-33Nb-5Ga were enriched with titanium, while the β-phase was richer in niobium and gallium elements. Mechanical properties were measured using nanoindentation and microhardness methods, where the Young's modulus for Ti-33Nb-3Ga and Ti-33Nb-5Ga was found to be 75.4 ± 2.4 and 67.2 ± 1.6 GPa, respectively, a significant reduction of 37% and 44% with respect to Ti-6Al-4V. This reduction helps address the disproportionate Young's modulus between titanium implant components and cortical bone. Importantly, both alloys successfully achieved superior antimicrobial properties against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Antibacterial efficacy was noted at up to 90 ± 5% for the 3 wt% alloy and 95 ± 3% for the 5 wt% alloy. These findings signify a substantial enhancement of the antimicrobial performance when compared to Ti-6Al-4V which exhibited very small rates (up to 6.3 ± 1.5%). No cytotoxicity was observed in hGF cell lines over 24 h. Cell morphology and cytoskeleton distribution appeared to depict typical morphology with a prominent nucleus, elongated fibroblastic spindle-shaped morphology, and F-actin filamentous stress fibres in a well-defined structure of parallel bundles along the cellular axis. The developed alloys in this work have shown very promising results and are suggested to be further examined towards the use of orthopaedic implant components.
PubMed: 38921540
DOI: 10.3390/jfb15060167 -
Metabolites May 2024The chemical profiles of both () aerial parts and roots extracts were evaluated with LC-ESI-TOF-MS/MS analysis. Twenty-four compounds were detected. Among them, some...
The chemical profiles of both () aerial parts and roots extracts were evaluated with LC-ESI-TOF-MS/MS analysis. Twenty-four compounds were detected. Among them, some are detected in both the aerial parts and the roots extracts, and others were detected in the aerial parts only. The detected compounds were mainly flavonoids, phenolic compounds, triterpenes and other miscellaneous compounds. Such compounds contribute to the diverse pharmacological activities elicited by the species. This study aimed to elucidate the antiepileptic effect of aerial parts and roots crude extracts against pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced kindling in mice. Male albino mice were divided into four groups, eight animals each. All groups, except the control group, were kindled with PTZ (35 mg/kg i.p.), once every alternate day for a total of 15 injections. One group was left untreated (PTZ group). The remaining two groups were treated prior to PTZ injection with either aerial parts or roots crude extract (400 mg/kg, orally). Pretreatment with either extract significantly reduced the seizure scores, partially reversed the histological changes in the cerebral cortex and exerted antioxidant/anti-inflammatory efficacy evinced by elevated hippocampal total antioxidant capacity and SOD and catalase activities, parallel to the decrement in MDA content, iNOS activity and the TXNIB/NLRP3 axis with a subsequent decrease in caspase 1 activation and a release of IL-1β and IL-18. Moreover, both extracts suppressed neuronal apoptosis via upregulating Bcl-2 expression and downregulating that of Bax, indicating their neuroprotective and antiepileptic potential. Importantly, the aerial parts extract elicited much more antiepileptic potential than the roots extract did.
PubMed: 38921451
DOI: 10.3390/metabo14060316 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Attitudes, practices, and knowledge about bullying were evaluated in a sample of 274 primary care professionals, including general practitioners, pediatricians,...
Attitudes, practices, and knowledge about bullying were evaluated in a sample of 274 primary care professionals, including general practitioners, pediatricians, community, pediatric and school nurses, and residents of these specialties. This study was based on a mixed method with a parallel convergent design without dominance between phases, data were collected concurrently, and conversion of the results from both phases was carried out during data interpretation. The quantitative phase had a cross-sectional observational design, using The Healthcare Provider's Practices, Attitudes, Self-confidence, and Knowledge Regarding Bullying Questionnaire as an instrument. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed, which showed a positive correlation between higher self-confidence and knowledge scores and a greater predisposition to detect cases. However, although the dimensions of attitudes and knowledge yielded generally high data, low self-confidence was evident in addressing this problem. In addition, a lack of clear guidelines in the workplace was expressed, highlighting the need to create and provide specific resources to intervene in bullying in said context, which could develop an improvement in self-confidence, leading to greater well-being for the educational community regarding bullying.
PubMed: 38921343
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12121230 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The 11th Revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries, and Causes of Death (ICD-11) will replace its predecessor as international...
Coding Diagnoses from the Electronic Death Certificate with the 11th Revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems: An Exploratory Study from Germany.
The 11th Revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries, and Causes of Death (ICD-11) will replace its predecessor as international standard for cause-of death-statistics. The digitization of healthcare is a main motivation for its introduction. In parallel, the replacement of the paper-based death certificate with an electronic format is under evaluation. At the moment, the death certificate is used in paper-based format with ICD-10 for coding in Germany. To be prepared for the switch to ICD-11, the compatibility between ICD-11 and the electronic certificate should be assured. Objectives were to check the appropriateness of diagnosis-related information found on death certificates for an ICD-11 coding and to describe enhancements to the certificate's structure needed to fully utilize the strengths of ICD-11. As part of an exploratory test of a respective application, information from 453 electronic death certificates were provided by one local health authority. From a sample of 200 certificates, 433 diagnosis texts were coded into the German version of ICD-11. The appropriateness of the results as well as the further requirements of ICD-11, particularly with regard to post-coordination, were checked. For 430 diagnosis texts, 649 ICD-11 codes were used. Three hundred and sixty two diagnosis texts were rated as appropriately represented through the coding result. Almost all certificates contained diagnosis texts that lacked details required by ICD-11 for a precise coding. The distribution of diseases was very similar between ICD-10 and ICD-11 coding. A few gaps in ICD-11 were identified. Information requested by ICD-11 for a mandatory post-coordination were almost entirely absent from the death certificates. The structure and content of the death certificate are currently not well prepared for an ICD-11 coding. Necessary information was frequently missing. The line-oriented structure of death certificates has to be supplemented with a more flexible approach. Then, the semantic knowledge base of ICD-11 should better guide the content related input fields of a future electronic death certificate.
PubMed: 38921328
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12121214 -
Insects May 2024Prolonged periods of host-lethal infection by entomopathogenic fungi pose challenges to the development of biological control agents. The obligate entomopathogen ,...
Transcriptomic Profiling of Bean Aphid upon Exposure to the Aphid-Obligate Entomopathogen (Entomophthoromycotina) and Screening of CytCo-Binding Aphid Proteins through a Pull-Down Assay.
Prolonged periods of host-lethal infection by entomopathogenic fungi pose challenges to the development of biological control agents. The obligate entomopathogen , however, rapidly kills aphid hosts, warranting investigation. This study investigated the interaction between and a bean aphid during the incubation period of infection, using transcriptome analysis to map host gene expression profiles. Results indicate -inoculated aphid activation of the wound healing immune responses, alongside suppression of the key molecules involved in Toll signaling, melanization, and metabolism. Furthermore, neuromotor system-related genes were upregulated, paralleling the intoxication observed in a nematode pest treated with -derived CytCo protein. To deepen interaction insights, a His-tag pull-down assay coupled with mass spectrometry analysis was conducted using CytCo as a bait to screen for potential aphid protein interactors. The proteins were identified based on the assembled transcriptome, and eleven transmembrane proteins were predicted to bind to CytCo. Notably, a protein of putatively calcium-transporting ATPase stood out with the highest confidence. This suggests that CytCo plays a vital role in killing aphid hosts, implicating calcium imbalance. In conclusion, effectively inhibits aphid immunity and exhibits neurotoxic potential, expediting the infection process. This finding facilitates our understanding of the complex host-pathogen interactions and opens new avenues for exploring biological pest management strategies in agroforestry.
PubMed: 38921103
DOI: 10.3390/insects15060388 -
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The educational expectations of students for themselves have been commonly corroborated to directly predict their higher academic performance. Nevertheless, some recent...
The Dynamic Relationships between Educational Expectations and Science Learning Performance among Students in Secondary School and Their Later Completion of a STEM Degree.
The educational expectations of students for themselves have been commonly corroborated to directly predict their higher academic performance. Nevertheless, some recent research has reported that the academic performance of students may also contribute to their better development of educational expectations. Moreover, more advanced but limited research has argued that both the educational expectations and academic performance of students are developmental and changeable over time rather than fixed and stable. Due to the importance of students' science learning performance during the years of secondary school in relation to their later STEM development in adulthood, the current study is intended to investigate how the developmental and growth trajectories of students' educational expectations and science learning performance reciprocally affect each other directly and inversely in secondary school and then later contribute to their successful completion of a STEM degree in adulthood. Based on the six-wave panel data containing a nationally representative sample of adolescent students from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY), the current study was conducted by parallel-process latent growth curve modeling (PP-LGCM) and found that both the developmental and growth trajectories of students' educational expectations and science learning performance were mutually predictive of each other across the years of secondary school, which then contributed to their later higher likelihood of successful completion of a STEM degree in adulthood. In addition, the conditional direct PP-LGCM model, which is to model the effects of students' educational expectations on their science learning performance, and the conditional inverse PP-LGCM model, which is to model the effects of students' science learning performance on their educational expectations, showed significant within- and cross-domain effects differently. The implications of the study findings related to educational reforms and policy designs are discussed.
PubMed: 38920838
DOI: 10.3390/bs14060506 -
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Employees with mental illness are often the first to be unable to cope with increasingly complex psychosocial work demands. But people without mental illness can also...
Employees with mental illness are often the first to be unable to cope with increasingly complex psychosocial work demands. But people without mental illness can also suffer from, for example, high workload. This study compares a short coaching to stabilize work ability for employees with and without mental illness regarding coaching topics, effects on work-related resources, goal attainment, and unwanted events. Individual coaching of three sessions (problem exploration by behavior analysis, practice of new behavior, reflection) was conducted with employees from different professional fields. A medical history was taken to determine whether participants are affected by a mental disorder. All coaching was conducted by the same behavior therapist in training (L.P.W.) under the supervision of an experienced behavior therapist (B.M.). Two hundred and three coachings with three sessions were completed. In total, 103 participants did not have a mental illness (51%), and 100 participants reported a mental disorder (49%). The coaching participants with mental illness had lower initial levels of work-related capacities (more severe impairments) and coping behavior as compared to the participants without mental illness. In the pre-post comparisons, both groups achieved significant improvements in work-related coping after the coaching. There were no differences in goal attainment between both groups. While participants without mental illness reported more unwanted events in parallel to the coaching (30% reported negative developments in life), participants with mental illness reported coaching-related unwanted events (20% felt to be dependent on the coach). Coaching with an individual focus on one topic can improve work-related resources in participants with and without mental disorders. Since participants with and without mental illness experience different unwanted events in coaching, psychotherapeutic expertise is needed in order to set the right focus.
PubMed: 38920794
DOI: 10.3390/bs14060462 -
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024This study examined the second-order schema domains of Early Maladaptive and Adaptive Schemas based on recent trends and compared them with the five theoretical...
This study examined the second-order schema domains of Early Maladaptive and Adaptive Schemas based on recent trends and compared them with the five theoretical second-order schema domains commonly used in schema therapy. Using six international Eastern and Western community samples-Singapore ( = 628), Malaysia ( = 229), USA ( = 396), South Africa ( = 390), Nigeria ( = 364), India ( = 306)-confirmatory factor analysis showed that the four second-order domains of EMSs and EASs, which ran almost parallel with each other, were the most robust models calling into question the validity of the five domain model. Given the hypothesized links between schemas and needs, these four categories of EMSs and EASs represent four categories of toxic experiences and core emotional needs, respectively. These categories were supported empirically and are useful to parents as well as to clinicians as they approach child rearing and the treatment of clients in schema therapy from the vantage point of needs. These four categories of psychological core emotional needs, as well as toxic experiences, were found, as expected, to be linked with various measures of well-being and ill-being.
PubMed: 38920775
DOI: 10.3390/bs14060443